Proof of mega-carnivorous dinosaur, 200-million years old, found in Lesotho
UCT scientists say enormous footprints reveal that Kayentapus ambrokholohali, at 9m in body length, dwarfed other therapods of its time
Imagine a huge, meat-eating dinosaur licking his lips in hunger as he towers over all the other creatures on the same landscape. It might seem like the opening scene from a Steven Spielberg film‚ but now‚ an international group of scientists‚ led by the University of Cape Town (UCT)‚ has evidence of this exact scenario. Massive footprints of a mega-carnivore that roamed around Southern Africa 200-million years ago have been found on an informal road near Maseru in Western Lesotho. The resulting study was published this week in online science journal PLOS One. At that time (the beginning of the Jurassic Period) even the larger carnivorous dinosaurs were "relatively small"‚ according to a statement released by UCT‚ at about 3m to 5m in body length. The footprints of this newly discovered, three-toed dinosaur have revealed to the scientists a creature estimated to be 9m in body length (similar to the height of a two-storey building)‚ with a hip height of 2.7m. It has been classified as...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.